The House in ancient Greece was depicted with a small word. The word ‘Oikos’. (pronounced: ecos, Greek: οίκος).
But this small word was more than your house as a building. It meant, and still does, your entire #house but also each room separately. It also meant, the place the house is located and the whole of the estate. In addition it was the whole fortune of the family and its legacy. It was the equivalent of the Scottish Clans, the Chinese or European Dynasties, the Doodeman (doodem: have to do with one's heart) of the indigenous people in north America etc. It was the whole ancestry, all the people that were and will be born in the family.
The last and most important aspect of this word was that it meant the Temple; the sanctum, the temple of God as we say today.
The God being the divine potential of the Human and therefore in order to reach this potential the human must live in the temple. Must respect and honor the temple which in turn was also the Body. So the House was also the #body, the sacred vehicle that gives us the opportunity to live and learn and become the God.
#Fact: In ancient Greece you could practice 'Philoxenia' only inside a temple. But what does this mean exactly?
The term philoxenia (filoxenia; Greek: φιλοξενία) comes from the noun 'philoxenos'(filoxenos; Greek: φιλόξενος), which means the one who welcomes foreigners, who loves the outlander. Philoxenos consists of two words. The first one: Philos, (filos; Greek: φίλος) which means the one who loves, and comes from the initial root 'sf' (sfin, sfos, sfis; Greek: σφίν, σφός, σφεῖς) meaning the one who belongs to himself and his own kind; in one word: the he/she. The word 'sofos' (the wise man) comes from the same root and all these are interconnected. So 'Philos' means the one that loves and respect himself and therefore others.
The second word is 'xenos' (Greek: ξένος) literally translated as the foreigner; meaning the one that doesn't understand your ways, the ignorant of your House.
'Philoxenia', is literally translated as hospitality, although this word does not completely depict the true meaning, which is the welcoming and the showing of love and respect to the one that doesn't know our ways, from us, the ones that are connected with our House (body, temple, family...) and can teach him the value of this connection and in turn create a connection with him. This is a sacred act and it must be performed in a sacred place (your house which is treated as a temple), in which you connect everyday with your sacred self.
So think, what would happen in your life if you would treat your home as a temple? How would you feel inside it? How could this change your relationship with your body; your surroundings; your friends, your kids; your social circle? Do you really know what you own? Do you put it in good use? What if you could perceive your body as a temple?
(Click on your favorite #hashtags to read more...)
#Tip: write all the Greek words from the fact above in a piece of paper and observe their commonality even if you can't understand their meaning.
#Exercise: As a small exercise think something of sacred to you. It can be something from your faith if you have one, or a simple item, or a relationship.
This is the feeling that needs to vibrate inside your home!
*Danai Fassouli is a writer, artist, self-development, Feng Shui and ancient physiognomy consultant, and a healer traveling around the world with the sole purpose to decode the ancient sacred truths and use them for her personal development as well as to spread them to all women and men that want to work for their own health of the mind, body, and soul. Contact Danai for consultation here.
*The articles are purely informative and do not replace the nutritionist; doctor and/or the psychologist and generally any specialist in physical and mental health.
Text in Greek:
Οίκος στη αρχαία Ελλάδα, ήταν ‘πας τόπος ένθα ζή τις’ και ταυτόχρονα ‘ο οίκος και πάντα τά έν αυτώ ή περί αυτού’. Δηλαδή, όποιος τόπος στον οποίο ζει κάποιος και ταυτόχρονα το σπίτι του, το κάθε δωμάτιο του χωριστά, όλη η περιουσία του και η κληρονομιά του. Επίσης ήταν η οικογένεια και το ‘οικογενειακόν γένος’. Μα ταυτόχρονα ήταν και ο ναός, το ιερό, αυτό που σήμερα λέμε ο οίκος του θεού. Η μικρή λοιπόν, αλλά, καθόλου μικρή αυτή λέξη, στην πραγματικότητα μας δίνει μια εκπληκτική αναλογία! Την αναλογία του σπιτιού μας με το κοινωνικό σύνολο. Μία μόνο λέξη τα περιγράφει όλα. Γιατί όμως;
Μήπως επειδή όλα αυτά στην ουσία είναι ένα; Σκέψου λίγο, αν αντιμετώπιζες το σπίτι σου σαν ιερό χώρο για εσένα πώς θα ήταν η όψη του; Πώς θα αισθανόσουν εσύ μέσα σε αυτό; Τί αποτέλεσμα θα είχε αυτό στις σχέσεις σου, στην εργασία σου, στην διασκέδασή σου; Αν έχεις περιουσία, σκέψου τι αποτελέσματα σου φέρνει? Σου αρέσει, είναι χρήσιμη, ή είναι απλώς μια βαλτωμένη ενέργεια που δεν ξέρεις καν που βρίσκεται; Μήπως χρειάζεται να αλλάξεις κάτι, να κάνεις ίσως μια ανακατάταξη στον χώρο σου ή ακόμα και μια μικρή ανακαίνιση, μήπως χρειάζεται να κάνεις χρήσιμα όλα αυτά που σου έχουν δοθεί; Οι πρόγονοί μας, αλλά και όλοι οι αρχαίοι λαοί γνώριζαν την σημαντικότητα του οίκου τους, γνώριζαν πως το σπίτι τους ήταν αναγκαίο να είναι φωτεινό συμμετρικό και ακριβώς βασισμένο στις ανάγκες τους. Γνώριζαν πως πρέπει να κατέχουν μόνο ότι μπορεί να τους είναι χρήσιμο (και για να το φέρω στην εποχή μας πως ό,τι κατέχεις πρέπει να το κάνεις χρήσιμο). Γνώριζαν πως μόνο μέσα σε έναν ‘ναό’ μπορούν να εξασκούν την φιλοξενία και πως για να το κάνουν αυτό έπρεπε πρώτα να ‘φιλοξενούν’ σωστά τον εαυτό τους. Αυτές λοιπόν τις μέρες, σαν μια μικρή άσκηση, βάλε ένα χαμόγελο στο μυαλό σου και σκέψου τί είναι ιερό για εσένα; Ένα πράγμα, ένας τόπος, ένας άνθρωπος...Και πως αισθάνεσαι με/σε αυτό;
Αυτό το αίσθημα χρειάζεται να έχεις από τον/στον οίκο σου!! Αν όχι τί θα κάνεις για να το αλλάξεις;
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